Key Scripture: Acts 4; 5:11-41

There are some things in life that we can be “certain” will happen. We can be certain that life will bring both good days and difficult days, that seasons will come and go, and for the most part we are ok with that. But what Jesus describes in John is a certainty we don’t welcome, at least not at first. “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33)

For followers of Jesus, some of that trouble will come simply because we belong to Him. Sometimes it will come from the world around us because we live in a fallen world, but every once in a while, surprisingly, trouble comes from people who claim to represent God.

This is what we see in Acts Chapters 4 and 5. The early church was growing, the apostles were preaching Jesus, people were being saved, and God was at work. With the growth, however, came opposition. The apostles discovered something every generation of Christians must understand. Sometimes following Jesus creates opposition resulting in persecution. But persecution does not mean God has stopped working. In fact, Acts shows us that “Sometimes the evidence that God is working most powerfully is found right in the middle of the resistance.” This is what I want us to learn as we look at a situation in Acts Chapter 4.

Acts Chapter 4 opens up with Peter and John (two of Jesus’ disciples) being confronted by the religious authorities because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. The Sadducees were especially disturbed because they did not believe in the resurrection. You might remember, they were “sad, you see,” because they didn't believe Jesus rose from the dead. But what is remarkable is what happened while the religious leaders were becoming increasingly disturbed. “But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.” (Acts 4:4) The opposition was increasing, but so was the church. The religious leaders were trying to stop the message, but God was at work in the middle of their opposition.

That gives us the first certainty we hold to when persecution comes. Persecution cannot stop what God is doing and is often evidence that God is at work. A year earlier, Jesus had told Peter and the disciples “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades (Hell) will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18) The enemy may oppose the church, people may oppose your faith, governments may oppose Christianity, culture may reject Biblical truth, religious people may criticize you, friends may walk away from you, but none of that means God has stopped working. In fact, we are about to see that He is working all the more.

Peter and John were brought before the rulers, elders and teachers of the law, and they were asked, “By what power or what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:7b) (The “this” they were referring to was a lame man healed by Peter right there in the temple courts that led to Peter sharing the gospel.) Peter could have become intimidated. He could have softened his answer. Instead, it tells us that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and answered them. “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:8-10; 12)

In our early years here at MCC, as the church began to grow, some of the folks in the church questioned our methods. A worship minister who had tattoos, students wearing hats when they played instruments on stage. One of our elders came to me and said, “Don’t be concerned with the criticism. You can’t argue with the results. People are being baptized every week.”

Peter wasn't defending a religious opinion. He was declaring a truth that couldn’t be negotiated. Jesus is not one option among many. Jesus is the only source of salvation. Jesus is the authority, and Peter wouldn’t back down. It’s the second certainty God is revealing to us here. Persecution reveals the strength of our witness. “When they (the authorities) saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

I love that phrase, “they had been with Jesus.” Jesus had changed them. That ought to be the testimony of our lives. When people watch us under pressure, what do they see? When someone criticizes our faith, or attacks what we believe, how do we respond? When our Christian values are mocked, do people see anger, arrogance and defensiveness, or do they see the character of Christ? Persecution doesn't create our character, it reveals our character. Anyone can talk about faith when everything is going well, praise God when the bills are paid, the family is healthy and life is comfortable. But when you are excluded because of your convictions, called names because you will not compromise, or treated unfairly because you follow Jesus, that is when the world gets to see whether Jesus really has changed us.

Peter and John were courageous, but their courage wasn’t arrogance. Their boldness wasn’t hostility. They simply refused to deny Jesus.

Verse 18 says the authorities then commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Peter and John responded, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19–20).

Notice, Peter didn't say, “We think this is true.” He said, “We have seen it. We have heard it. We know it.” There are things about our faith we may not understand completely, questions we may not be able to answer, or circumstances we may not be able to explain, but there is something we can know. Jesus is Lord, Jesus died for our sins, Jesus rose from the dead, Jesus saves, and Jesus is still at work.

Verse 21 says the authorities eventually released Peter and John. Notice where they went? They didn’t go cower in the corner, have a pity party, or post to Facebook. They went to The Gathering. They went to their church family and prayed. (Remember last week – “The church is a family connected by prayer and a commitment to be present”) Verse 24 says “...they raised their voices together in prayer to God.”

This is the third certainty we discover. Persecution invites us to pray. The church didn't gather to develop a strategy for revenge. Look at their prayer. “Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided before hand should happen. Now Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:24-30) They didn't pray that God would destroy their enemies. They didn't ask God to make the persecution disappear. They acknowledged God's sovereignty and asked Him for boldness to continue doing what He had called them to do.

Remember last month the model Jesus gave us when praying? How we are to acknowledge who it is that we are speaking to and ask Him to align our circumstances and desires with His will. To ask Him for what we need today in order to be faithful. “Enable us….” “Stretch out your hand and heal….” “Show yourself Lord…”

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” (Acts 4:31) You talk about things backfiring on those who set out to persecute the church. What they hoped to stop, or at least stifle, resulted in an explosion of faith and boldness flowing from God through the Church.

I think about this sometimes in our worship together at The Gathering. How it is that sometimes we cry when we are in this place. How when we embrace the truth of the words we are singing, when these words become prayers, that we are shaken to the core, we are moved, we are motivated, as God fills us back up.

What would have happened if they had prayed “get me out of this” when God wanted them to pray “get me through this”? There is nothing wrong with asking God to remove persecution. Jesus Himself prayed in Gethsemane for the cup to be taken from Him. But where did Jesus land in his prayer? “But not my will, but yours be done!”

And that brings us to Acts chapter 5. The apostles were arrested again. But notice it’s not for leading a rebellion, but helping people, healing people. They had already been threatened, warned, and told to stop but now they are arrested again. We sometimes assume that if we stand firm once, the battle should be over, but Scripture doesn't promise that.

In verse 18 the apostles are placed in jail but during the night, an angel of the Lord opens the doors and brings them out. And then the angel gives them an unusual command, “Go, stand in the temple courts, and tell the people the full message about this new life.” (Acts 5:20). God released them so they could go back and preach. In the same way God does not simply deliver us from something, He delivers us for something.

Remember the whole purpose of our life as Christ followers, as The Church, is to bring Glory to God, to point the world to Jesus. We have been released from the bondage of sin so that we can tell somebody else about new life in Christ. We have been forgiven so that we can tell others where forgiveness is found. Rescued from our past so that we can point others toward their future. So don't waste your freedom. Don't waste the story of what God has done in your life. The apostle Paul spoke of his difficulties, both in times of persecution as well as personal suffering, many times. “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

The apostles went right back into the temple courts and started teaching again. Of course, the authorities found them and brought them before the Sanhedrin to reminded them, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name.” Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than human beings” (Acts 5:28a, 29). There it is again. When obedience to God and obedience to people come into conflict, our ultimate allegiance belongs to God.

Scripture teaches us to respect authorities, honor people, live peacefully, and submit to legitimate authority. But there is a line that cannot be crossed. We cannot obey people in a way that requires us to disobey God.

In the Old Testament Daniel didn’t stop praying because the government commanded it. Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego didn’t bow down because Nebuchadnezzar ordered it. The issue is “who will we allow to have the ultimate authority in our life?” Will it be fear, relationships, financial security, the expectations of others? Or is it God?

I want to mention something interesting that happens. A guy named Gamaliel, a respected teacher of the law stood up and advised his fellow Sanhedrin to leave the apostles alone and let them go. His reasoning was simple. “For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38b–39)

Gamaliel observation exposes an undeniable truth. Human opposition cannot ultimately defeat God's purposes. People can oppose God's work, delay God's work, or make God's work more difficult, but they cannot overthrow God. Just like we talked about last week, if God is in it, God will sustain it. And that leads us to where this account wraps up.

The apostles were flogged and were ordered again not to speak in the name of Jesus. “The apostles left the Sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” (Acts 5:41) How do you rejoice after being beaten, publicly humiliated, and threatened for your faith? You rejoice because suffering for Jesus reminds you whose you are.

Last week I visited a friend whose father had passed away. 23 years ago I worked for this friend and had the privilege of driving his dad to Indianapolis to help take care of some business there. On our way, his dad told me about how at the age of twenty two, he found a field and he sold everything he owned so that he could buy that field. He was talking about hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ, surrendering his life to Jesus, and making the decision to follow Him. It was a decision that impacted the next 70 years of his life.

That man understood something we sometimes forget. Following Jesus is worth everything. The apostles understood this. Jesus had been rejected, mocked, beaten, crucified, and now, as His followers, they were willing to suffer disgrace because they belonged to Him. They weren't celebrating pain, they were celebrating faithfulness. Christlikeness.

Verse 42 says that day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. They never stopped. Jesus was worth it all.

Have you stopped? What is it that has you discouraged in your faith wondering if Jesus has left you? Can you see today that persecution and difficulty is to be expected, but God is with us. He is at work in and around us and He will finish what he started. It’s up to us to buy the field, to go all-in and take our next step toward that finished work. Will you? Come and let’s pray, come and be part of this family, come and surrender your life to Jesus Christ.

I’ll meet you at The Gathering. Dave